Any form of living matter is prone to changes, and they can occur both in the positive direction and in the negative. In the second case, such a process is called regression or degradation, and it is characterized by a gradual deterioration in the state of a particular object or phenomenon. The reverse phenomenon, manifested as the improvement of something or someone, can be called progress or development. The above processes in the Universe, as a rule, are also called involution and evolution.
In some specific cases, they may have the opposite meaning. For example, the development, strengthening of the elements - for a person such a process will have a negative side. In this article we learn what development is and what role it plays in the relationships between various objects of living nature.
General information
As mentioned earlier, development is an immanent process that proceeds as a result of certain changes. It can be characterized by an increase in the complexity of a particular system, an improvement in adaptability to the environment, social progress, economic growth and an improvement in its structure, as well as an increase in the scale of a particular phenomenon. In each case, this process performs a universal role - achieving a new result. It is difficult to say that such a development as a whole is in fact, because each of its characteristics has certain features, which, in turn, are determined by orientation, time dependence, and quantitative and qualitative change.
The development process in living organisms
The natural scientist J. B Lamarck applied the idea of development to explain evolutionary theory. In it, the process of increasing the organization of living organisms is stepwise. In other words, we can say that, according to the views of the French scientist, nature arose by transforming simple forms into more complex ones. What development is and how it relates to the origin of man is also described in the writings of the great naturalist and traveler C. Darwin. The principle of this process is the basis of his concept of the evolution of living things. A vivid example confirming this idea can serve as the theory that a person appeared as a result of the physical and spiritual development of higher primates.
Qualitative and structural changes in the economy
Earlier we found out that such a development as a whole, and now we will focus on such a variation as economic progress. This is a very important set of various processes that affect the level and quality of life, progress in science, education and culture, as well as the productivity of the population. What is economic development, J. Schumpeter determined in 1911. He published a book called Theory of Economic Development. It pointed out the differences between the development and growth of the economy, and also determined and classified the essence of innovations in various forms.
Divergence and convergence
These two patterns are very closely related to such a process as development. Let's try to understand in more detail. Divergence - the divergence of properties and signs in certain groups of organisms in the process of evolution. For example, as a result of the development (evolution) of unicellular flagellum forms, algae and fungi occurred.
Convergence is the exact opposite. It implies a process of rapprochement (similarity) of living organisms. Examples include animals such as aardvark and South American anteater. Initially, the animals belonged to the same family, as they were very similar. After some time, scientific research proved that their surface similarity is the result of convergent development and is due to the same diet: termites and ants, which means that these living organisms, although they are in the same ecological niche, cannot belong to the same to the family.
Social progress
In the scientific works of O. Kant, one can find the “Course of Positive Philosophy”, which brought the author the greatest fame. In this work, the French philosopher describes the Law of the three stages of the intellectual development of mankind. Each stage is characterized by a certain period of time (the first - from ancient centuries to 1300, the second - 1300-1800, the third - the 19th century). In each period of time, humanity goes through certain stages of development: theological, metaphysical and scientific, respectively.
O. Kant considers the first and second to be a period of fiction and false opinions, but having carefully studied the last stage, one can already answer the question: "What is the development of a system (social)?" During this stage, society reorganizes, seeks to observe, and reason, and make new progressive discoveries. In each of the stages described above, humanity has evolved. Only thanks to the accumulated experience and knowledge, you now have the opportunity to live in a civilized world. What is human development? This is adaptability to life, the desire to open new horizons, to master new skills in order to improve the quality of life. In any era, people develop both spiritually and physically, and the suspension of this process can lead to a reduction in population, hunger and devastation.